Giroux passes practice test, still optimistic about a return

Everyone wants to know when Claude Giroux will be back on the ice in game action for the Flyers. If Monday's morning practice was any indicator, the team might be getting an early Christmas present from their best player.

Giroux spent 90 minutes on the Pepsi Center ice practicing Monday. The last hour of that was skating hard with other scratched players, injured players and assistant coaches.

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When he came off the ice, he was in a jovial mood, perhaps the happiest he's been since before suffering a concussion Dec. 10 when he was accidentally kneed on the back of the head by teammate Wayne Simmonds.

"It's progress," he said. "You want to test yourself a little bit more every day. It's Colorado, so it's a little bit harder to get yourself back in shape (because of the thinner air), but it's a good test to see where I was and I felt pretty good."

Giroux said he's symptom-free and that he is close to getting back to where he can take contact at practice from teammates.

And with each step he's getting closer to playing.

"I just want to test myself and see where I'm at," Giroux said. "If there are no symptoms I don't see why I shouldn't push myself to see where I'm at. I had a good skate today."

Skating as hard as he could for 90 minutes nine days out from a second concussion may seem a bit rushed, but Giroux said that if he was dealing with any kind of symptoms, he wouldn't have pushed so hard.

"I told myself when I went back on the ice I wasn't going to do it to just cruise around the ice," he said. "If I go back it's because I want to skate hard and that's what I'm trying to do. I'm still going day by day. I have two more days before (Wednesday's game in Dallas).

"If I'm ready to go then, I'm ready to go. If not, then the Rangers (in New York Friday) is good, and if not, then after Christmas."

At the very least, it sounds like a good bet that if you overpaid for Winter Classic tickets with the hope of seeing the Flyers' MVP candidate, you'll get what you paid for.

"Obviously I'm aware of what can happen if I come back too fast," Giroux said. "But I think the coaching staff and (trainer) Jimmy (McCrossin) have done a good job making sure I don't rush into it."